Street Life
by Faggot McCormick
Summary: Sango is living a double life; going to college, being a good student, working two jobs while being a part-time mother to her younger brother Kohaku... while also in a powerful street gang.    Kikyou is not happy with her life. She's done with this.
1. Prologue: A Double Life

**A/N: Here is the prologue for a story I've been wanting to write for some time now. The main focus will be towards my two favorite female characters—Sango and Kikyou. Though, all characters have their part. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! I'd really like to know what you all think of my work. :) **

**I own nothing unless otherwise stated. Enjoy!**

Sango set her pen down after spending the last hour scribbling away like mad. Shuffling her papers, putting them in order, she slipped them neatly into a manila folder and filed away her school supplies, tucking them into her dark grey messenger bag. "Finally finished," the young woman said with a sound of accomplishment in her voice. "Hey Kohaku, how's your homework coming along?" The twenty year old swept her soft brown hair up into a high pony tail, tying it with a hair tie from around her wrist, walking out into the kitchen where a freckle-faced boy sat at the table, chewing on the end of his pen and looking utterly lost.

"Sis, I can't figure this out." Kohaku whined, setting the pen down and pushing the paper over towards her. "Ms. Tanaka is giving us pre-algebra work again, and I just don't get it!" He was beginning to feel quite inferior to his class mates, and falling behind in almost every subject—except English, that is. Kohaku seemed to have an ambitious talent for writing, and he loved to read.

Sango took the paper and looked over the work, then sat down to help him. She was fairly good in all her subjects—she had to be, if she wanted to get into a better school. "All you need to do is—" She was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing, buzzing rather wildly in her pocket. Without looking at the caller ID she flipped it open and answered, "Hello?"

_"Sango! Where the hell are you, huh? You're late again!"_ This was the rather angry voice of Inuyasha, the step-in leader of their street gang. Things were rough in Tokyo, and it was up to them to make sure the crime didn't get too bad—of course, they were not the only gang in the surrounding area. This was the double life of Sango Tsukada; a college student, part time mom… and street gang member.

"Oh, hold on a second," she held up a finger to her lips, which Kohaku knew meant to remain silent as she walked out of the room and up the stairs to talk. "Sorry, Inuyasha. I had some business to take care of. I'll be there soon, okay?"

An irritated growl came from the hanyou before he said, _"Fine, but make it fast." _Sango could hear him grumble something under his breath, but decided not to comment on it, mumbling a quick good bye before hanging up.

The young woman quickly got into the shower, changed into a pair of nice fitting dark grey jeans, a black tee shirt and her worn-down, beaten up leather jacket. She pulled on a pair of canvas shoes and headed downstairs after brushing her teeth. Kohaku knew about her involvement in a street gang, but not the extent of what she did, exactly. "Sorry to rush out on you like this, Kohaku.. Are you gonna be alright by yourself for a few hours? It's too short of notice to call Lisa to babysit." With a nod from her younger brother, Sango kissed his forehead, smiling at the way he blushed and hurried towards the door—grabbing her key on the way. "Just leave your homework on the table—do what you can and I'll finish the rest for you when I get home. Don't use the stove! Leftovers are in the fridge!" And out she went, leaving the fourteen year old to fend for himself.

Sango pressed the button for the elevator, but after a minute and a half of waiting, she just shook her head and decided to take the stairs.

This is how things were now that she was on her own. Her mother had passed away in a car accident shortly after Kohaku's second birthday, and just about four years prior hr father had been gunned down in a random drive-by shooting. Things had gone downhill ever since. Sango had filed for emancipated youth, gotten two jobs, dropped out of school, got her GED and found an apartment for her and her brother to live in. The gang has been there for her as much as they could, but it was not in her pride to sulk around them. None of them knew about Kohaku, or her being in school. They knew she had a job, or two, but no one questioned her personal life and she never shared anything, either. This was her life, and even if it was not the best, she was content with it. At least it was hers. And no one would ever take that from her.


	2. Just this once

**A/N: Here is the first chapter to my story "Street Life." I hope you all enjoy reading it as much I enjoy writing it. Right now everything is sort of up in the air, but it'll all fall into place in the upcoming chapters—just hang in there. As previously stated, this story mainly focuses on my two favorite female characters—Sango and Kikyou. All characters have their part, but those two are running this show. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! I'd really like to know what you all think of my work. :) **

**I own nothing unless otherwise stated. Enjoy!**

Usually the group would meet at 'The Shithouse', their affectionate name for their little garage-turned-warehouse, but due to the heat today they were all gathering at Miroku's house. His father was a work-a-holic mechanic who almost never left the shop—not that Miroku seemed to mind. His father was an extremely religious man and very forceful about his opinions; most of which concerned Miroku's life choices. Yeah, he was old enough to move out, but being that most of the time the house was empty, he saw no point.

Sango walked up to the door, knocked twice, then opened it anyways. In the gang, they were all family, so it was not at all uncommon to do so. She was greeted with an irritated huff from Inuyasha, who had his arms crossed over his broad chest. Miroku, who they all nick-named "Monk" for his Buddhist ways, came up to her on the left side—his smile was bright—warm and comforting. But those _damned hands_ were already at her rear. Without even turning to look at him she lifted a hand and struck him hard on the cheek, giving a huff of her own. "Pervert."

Just then a familiar voice piped up, sounding as cheery as always, "How are you, Sangoo~?" The "o" was lengthened, being dragged out for emphasis.

The young woman turned and hugged the redhead, laughing softly, "Just fine; how about you, Ayame?" Ayame Okita had been in the gang almost as long as Sango herself, but was about a year or so shy, since they'd all joined just before entering high school, and Ayame joined as a sophomore. She was a bit younger than most of them, being only eighteen, like Inuyasha. Odd that he ran the group, but Sesshoumaru was supposed to be their leader.. he was a bit indisposed at the moment, and left Inuyasha to take care of things.

"Okay, okay, enough mushy stuff you two." Kouga Hanari spoke up next, his voice a low gruff like always. He stretched and yawned, sharp pointed wolf-demon teeth showing when he did so. Though, since Sango was used to killing demons, they did nothing to intimidate her.

Part of the duty of their gang was to control the other demons located within the city. Demons today were not as one would exact—some had fiendish qualities about them, but for the most part they looked human—or humanoid, if nothing else.

"So what's this all about?" Sango asked, letting go of Ayame but remaining at her side, gazing around the room at Ginta and Hakkaku, Kouga's two best friends who were lounging on the couch like bums.

A frown crossed Kouga and Ayame's mouths, and they looked to Inuyasha, who still had his arms crossed. "Where have you been, Sango? You're never here anymore unless I call to bitch you out for being gone."

Of course, she knew this day would come—the day when they would finally question her absence, and she needed to come up with a lie—and quick. "My job; I've been working double shifts a lot. I'm a bit behind on rent," Sango looked downwards, kicking on foot forward and shifting her weight to the opposite foot. Everyone in the gang had pride, an probably more than enough of it to choke a horse, so admitting something like that was difficult—Even Inuyasha himself understood that, and gave a simple nod.

Miroku changed the subject with a heavy sigh. "Well, it's too hot to do much today at the garage, so… I think I might just head to the Chopper and find us some spare parts."

"I'll join you, Monk." The volunteer was Kouga—but Inuyasha interjected. "No, I need you and Ayame to help me with my bike—since you two are the best with that shit. Sango," the hanyou looked to her, "You can go with Miroku. We have a race coming up, so don't blow it, okay?"

The young woman gave a curt nod, not daring to obey their step-in leader, even if he wasn't official. Everyone knew the situation with the Taisho family, despite how private they tried to keep things. Touga Taisho was a high-end business man who used to run their gang, as much as he may try to deny it. He married his first wife for financial reasons—the marriage with Kimi did not last long after Sesshoumaru was born. His next wife, Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother, died shortly after he turned six. Touga was devastated and threw all his time into his work. Sesshoumaru was left to raise Inuyasha. The two did not often get along and Sesshoumaru hung around his older friends—and as the years passed, developed an addiction to drugs—opium, specifically. Inuyasha was left as the man of the house, and also left to run the Western gang at the age of seventeen. Now, at eighteen, he was hardened down tooth-and-nail. He was not a drop out, per se, but he rarely went to school; Usually only to see his long-time crush, Kikyou, who was now graduated. And yet, he still went on occasion—Sango theorized it had something to do with a younger girl named Kagome.

Only then did Sango realize she was dazing out and getting looks from the others. She shook her head and turned towards the door, calling behind her, "Come on, Miroku. I'll drive."

The brunette followed suit after giving the others a confused look and a shrug of the shoulders. And with that, they were off.

A sinister smirk crossed Naraku's face and his hand found its way to Kikyou's waist, pulling her down into his lap. She ground her teeth, glaring at him—conjuring up all the anger she could muster and showing it to him. "Oh baby, don't be that way," cooed the raven-haired male as his hand held her jaw, meeting her chocolate colored eyes with deep blood-red ones.

"And how am I supposed to act, Naraku? You tell me."

"It was just a one-time thing," Came his reply, with a hint of a fake-pout.

"But why did it have to be with Yura?" Kikyou was livid—just earlier that day she'd caught her boyfriend in an intense make out session with Yura, and his hands down her shirt. Of course, it had hurt. It was a severe blow to her pride, being that Yura was nothing short of the biggest whore in the Eastern side of Tokyo.

The male sighed and pushed her away, running one hand through his long tangled waves of black hair, once again meeting her gaze. "Like I said, it was a one-time thing. She practically threw herself at me!"

A bitter laugh came from the woman, "Oh yeah, it totally looked like she was forcing herself on you, while pinned up against the fuckin' wall!" Very rarely did Kikyou swear, but this was a special occasion. "I'm out of here," she said with a huff, removing herself from his lap, a chill going down her spine. "Don't call me." Her tone was stern, and the only sound after this was the click-click of her heels as she stormed out of the warehouse.

_I'm not going to cry. I won't._ But no matter how many times she told herself this, over and over again, Kikyou's eyes brimmed with tears. Without allowing them to spill over, she wiped them away with the back of her hand. She and Naraku had been together for about a year now, which was a big deal to her, since most of her relationships did not last long, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because she had bad taste in men. Maybe it was because she was too nice. Maybe it was because she was a bitter bitch sometimes. In any case, this was another one for the book.

Who could she call? She didn't want to spend the day alone. _Kagura. Naraku's cousin. She may be a good idea.. even if she is a royal bitch, she can't stand him._ Nodding to herself, the twenty year old took her phone from her pocket, dialed the number and waited.

_"Yo."_

"Hey, Kagura? It's Kikyou. Are you busy?" Despite how difficult it was, Kikyou tried not to sound as pathetic as she felt. _What am I doing, calling her like this? Desperate for help like a little lost kitten._ Well, it was probably better than bottling up everything like she usually did. Plus, despite everything, Kagura turned out to be a pretty decent friend. _Besides, who else do I have?_

_ "Nah, not really. Onigumo showed up here earlier bitchin' his tits about Naraku doing one thing or another. You know how that idiot is. Why, you wanna hang?"_

"Yeah. I'll head over now if that's cool with you."

_"Duh."_

And that was that. Kikyou got into her old beat up Buick, driving over towards North Avenue, where Kagura resided. It was about a fifteen minute drive, what with traffic and whatnot—she arrived in perfect timing. The young woman took an extra moment to sit in the car, take a deep breath and prepare herself to see Kagura's family. Being that she lived with her younger sister and an alcoholic mother, it was hard on her to see other _normal_ families. _Like the Kato's._ She brought down the mirror and observed herself—her fair skin, deep brown eyes, perfectly cut long black hair… And killed the engine, stepping out of the car. Kikyou generally dressed simply, though today she'd outdone herself, wearing a nice white skirt that went down to just above her knees and a black tank top which nicely showed her cleavage, without being overly slutty. Over the top she wore a tight fitting leather jacket— as they all did. On her feet she wore a simply pair of black heels. It was supposed to be a night out with Naraku, but obviously those plans were cancelled.

Before she even had a chance to knock, was at the door ushering her in, praising her on her outfit as she always did, no matter what Kikyou was wearing.

"Afternoon, Misses Kato." The raven haired girl said with a polite bow.

The older woman shook her head and gave a friendly smile, "Please, Kikyou, call me Mama." She was a friendly woman and Kikyou adored her, but for some reason she could never quite get herself to be comfortable with Kagura's family—and as if on cue, Kagura came down the stairs, dressed in a short black mini skirt and a tank top, calling to her, "Come on upstairs. Mom.. stop harassing my friends, wouldja?"

Kikyou nodded to the pouting woman and headed upstairs with her companion, being lead routinely to Kagura's room—which was a mess, as usual. Two yellow canaries sat on a swing in a cage by the window—she recognized them as Kagura's pets, Tweetie and Twitter, she called them. Though, Kikyou was fairly certain their names were Sophia and Janet.

"So, what's up with you?" The short haired girl asked, plopping down onto her bed, which squeaked in protest as she did so.

"I broke up with Naraku." _Might as well come out and say it._

Obviously Kagura was not exacting this, and looked at her with an arched brow. "Really? I mean, not that it's a big shocker, Narkau is a dick, but what happened?" The other looked her over, making her feel a little self-conscious.

"Well, for starters I walked in on him with his hands all over Yura."

Now this clearly _was_ a shocker, and Kagura's eyes grew wide. "Are you _serious_? Yura? That slut!"

Kikyou took a seat on Kagura's bed and leaned back against the wall, heaving a sigh as she did so. "Yeah, he was kissing her and… tonight we were supposed to be going out on a date or something, but I guess this puts a bit of a damper on my plans, huh?" She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a pathetic, weak sob.

"No; certainly not. And do you know why? 'Cause we're gonna go have some fun tonight. That's why. I'll use my ID to buy some alcohol and we'll get wasted. I mean, I know you don't drink much, but it's just this once."

_Just this once._ Kikyou found herself nodding her head. Kagura nearly jumped off the bed, "Come on, let's get dolled up—I mean, you look great, but a little too classy for what I had in mind." A snicker came from her and the younger girl simply went along with it. _Just this once._


	3. How beautiful

**A/N: If you've read this far, I love you. **

**This story is purely fan made. I own nothing unless otherwise stated. There will be non-canon characters added in from time to time acting as filler, along with an OC of mine, but she won't come in until later on. Well, enjoy! Feedback is encouraged!**

A sigh came from Miroku as he gazed out the passenger window, remaining silent as Sango drove them back towards the garage—she had an American CD playing, a band called "Evanescence." They were decent, but not exactly what he was into. Miroku preferred more acoustic, relaxed music, for the most part. The entire time at the Chopper his female companion had not said a word, and even now she had her lips pursed, obviously upset about something. Taking a deep breath, Miroku became a bit bold and leaned forward, turning down the music. The woman's attention was immediately turned towards him, eyebrow arched—wondering what he wanted, though it didn't last long before she returned her gaze to the road.

"Sango… I know something is bothering you. I've known you too long not to notice… But, I also know you well enough not to pry. If you need something, you can tell me. But… that's not what I wanted to tell you, really… 'cause you already know that, I hope.." It was very like Miroku to tip-toe around what he wanted to say, and Sango had become accustomed to those things. "Well, you know we have a race this upcoming Saturday.. and er.. well. Sango," he sat up straighter and gathered his bearings, "Would you go to the race with me? Like… as my.. uhm.. date?"

Unexpected.

Sango's jaw became slightly slack, her gaze flickering over to him momentarily before once more returning to the road. There was a long pause before she replied, "Yeah… Sure. I'd like that, Miroku."

They had been friends for a long time, so why not take things to the next step? _This is normal, isn't it? Don't friends do this? I mean, he's a great guy—even if he is a pervert, so why not? He always got along with Kohaku, and he seems to like kids.. he's the perfect boyfriend, minus his lechery. But… _But some part of her was not set on such an easy lifestyle.

Growing up, things had been much different. In middle school before everyone changed and formed into little gangs, everyone was generally friends. Two people in particular.

Sango and Naraku Nakamura; closer than any two people could ever hope to be. They were thick as thieves and each willing to jump in front of a bus for the other. Always having been 'one of the boys', Sango had always bound her chest, played in the dirt and run around with the boys like a wild child—until she had to step up when her mother died. Her and Naraku had slowly grown apart from each other, and even more so when she dropped out of school, and he started dating Kikyou. It was been a blow to Sango's still-strong pride, not to mention her young teenage girl heart. Kikyou was absolutely stunning—many of the girls had been jealous of her. Sango never had until that moment. But she'd had other priorities, so the fling with Naraku and Kikyou had taken a bit of a back seat. For a while, Naraku and Kikyou broke up—they were on and off all the time, which only served to upset her more—and then things started to happen. Naraku changed, and his twin brother began to be the nice one. Onigumo and Sango had never gotten along—he was always chasing after Kikyou and grabbing at her. He was always a thief, always pushing Sango around because he was bigger than her. But now, it seemed like he was the nice one, and Naraku had taken to the dark side.

Of course, she'd never tell anyone, but Naraku's father had always been a bit abusive to him, and heavily pressured him into carrying on the gang's legacy. Naraku's father had ruled the Eastern side of Tokyo with an iron fist, trafficking drugs, hiring assassin after assassin to keep the streets clean so he'd never have to sully his own hands… and all these things had been forcefully beaten into his sons. But Naraku, being the hand selected twin, carried the worst of his father's burden while Onigumo did what he wanted.

"Sango?" Miroku's worried voice shook her from her memories. "Did you hear me?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. What was it?"

".. Nothin'. Whatcha thinkin' 'bout? Er… if you don't wanna tell me, that's fine."

Sango found herself chuckling softly. "Don't worry Monk, it's nothing too bad. You know how I am. Thinkin' about old times. Do you remember middle school? How things were back then?"

The brunette frowned slightly, "Yeah, I do. You used to be friends with the Nakamura's."

As per usual, Miroku hit the nail directly on the head without a second though. "Yeah, used to be. They'll be at the race tomorrow. We're gonna crush those damn Eastern assholes, eh?" She gave a humorless laugh and reached over, giving him a friendly shove to the shoulder, "You're racing against Bankotsu, aren't you?"

Making an about face, Miroku nodded a bit nervously. They all hated having to get involved with the _Shichinintai_ whenever possible. The seven brothers were absolutely ruthless in every way. They killed mercilessly, cheated in races, sold drugs and did what they wanted—not to mention that they _enjoyed_ doing it. Thicker than thieves—oh, wait. They were thieves. The Band of Seven were not associated with any gang in particular, though they tended to side with the East. Shuddering at the thought of their fearless leader, Miroku mumbled. "And as if things were not bad enough, it's s motorcycle race."

"Ouch." Sango's sympathy definitely went out to him, just for that.

"You're telling me." Miroku mumbled with a sigh. Shortly after they arrived at the garage, dropped off the parts their scored, then began to trip to Miroku's, to drop him off since it was getting late. Once Sango parked, they waited for a few moments, both wanting to speak but too afraid to address the subject on their minds. But after another minute or so, Miroku took her hand and smiled, kissing her knuckles, "Good night Sango. Tell hey to the kid for me." And with that, he got out of the car, giving a final wave before disappearing into the house, leaving Sango to sit there alone—stunned, with a giddy smile on her face.

_Just this once_ quickly became a hypocritical nagging in the back of Kikyou's head, telling her to stop, but she couldn't. The drinks came pouring like a fountain into her glass, each one better than the last, and each one lifting her higher until she could practically taste the stars on her tongue. Kagura was laughing loudly at something some guy said, his arm slung around her waist, her drunken body slumped against his, a smirk on his lips as he attacked her neck.

She noticed the man looked a bit familiar with his extremely long hair, and it's odd color, but she was too drunk at this point to put much thought into it. Kagura seemed to be enjoying herself, so Kikyou didn't interfere.

After another hour or so she was practically weeping right there at the bar, getting odd looks from the bartender and other random onlookers. It was a bit awkward,, although, she obviously didn't have the sense at the moment to notice.

A sudden jerk in her gut brought Kikyou to her feet—stumbling a bit in her heels, but managing to get to the bathroom, using the wall for support as she did so. Picking the closest available stall, she threw open the door and emptied the contents in her stomach into the porcelain bowl, groaning. _I am never... ever drinking this much again._ Whether it was true or not, that's what she told herself over and over until the dry heaving stopped. The young woman found herself sitting on the floor, sobbing softly for what felt like hours, though was probably closer to around fifteen minutes, before getting up, drying her face on a bit of tissue before making her way back out into the bar—only to realize Kagura and the mystery guy had taken off, leaving her there.

Cursing under her breath, Kikyou paid her bill and hurried from the dingy place, standing outside on the curb, wondering if she had the number for a cab still in her phone. It was hard to read, and while she had not found the number she wanted, she discovered something better—the number of an old friend who would be more than willing to come get her.

The phone rang while she held it against her ear, tapping her foot impatiently, still feeling sick from before. Finally there was an answer—a sleep-rich, groggy voice mumbling into the speaker, _"Hello?"_

"Inuyasha, hey. It's Kikyou… I hope I didn't wake you," Hiccup, "up. Is this a bad time?"

The hanyou sat up in bed and straightened himself, stretching out his sore muscles while still holding the phone to his ear. _"Kikyou? What are you doing calling me at this hour? Do you even __**know**__ what time it is?—Are you __**drunk**__?"_

"… Just a little," the woman answered shamefully, kicking the sidewalk and leaning against the side of a graffiti-covered building. "Uhm… m-my ride ditched me… c-could you come get me?" Normally she was not one to ask for help, but in this type of situation, what else was she to do?

A soft sigh could be heard from Inuyasha, before he gruffly replied, _"Yeah. I can come get you. Where are you, Kikyou?"_

The raven-haired girl looked around for a moment, focusing on the two street signs. "I'm outside the bar at the crossroads of Seventh West and South Avenue."

_"Damn. Alright, I'll be there soon. Don't move, okay?"_

After agreeing to stay put, Kikyou hung up the phone, re-pocketing it and looking around, in a bit of a dizzy haze. Her head was spinning, and she swore she could hear laughter somewhere in the background. After a few moments, she became conscious that it was not just a faceless laughter in the back ground, but two men strolling down the street—right towards her. They were on the Eastern side, which meant it would be dangerous for a woman to be out alone, especially at three in the morning. And of course, it had to be none other than Hiten and Manten Yamada; the Thunder Brothers.

"What do we have here?" Hiten cooed from the left, tugging on the hem of her skirt as the fatter, bald brother Manten came over to her right.

"A delectable looking female, brother Hiten."

"A prized vixen, indeed."

Just as the two brothers began their sexual banter, a motorcycle sounded and lights flashed as Inuyasha pulled up to the curb, removed his helmet and curled his hands into angry fists of rage. "Get your filthy hands off of her!" The hanyou's infamous temper was flaring full-force tonight, fueled up like a fire with fresh gasoline. The two looked at each other and backed off, though, not retreating quiet yet.

The more human looking demon gazed to Inuyasha, long braid flowing behind him as he approached. "Watch yourself, hanyou, you're on our streets now." And with that, the two brothers departed, leaving a drunken, scared Kikyou leaned against the building. She finally let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, accepting the male's hand and the helmet as he helped her onto the bike. After a blur of noise and color, Kikyou found herself standing in front of her house, driven expertly by Inuyasha, who had even gone a bit slower to make sure the ride was smooth for her, knowing her stomach would more than likely be upset from all the drinking.

The silver haired boy stood on the curb, watching her look up at her apartment building with a frown, and slowly walked up to her. "If you don't wanna go home… you could stay at our place for the night. You can have my bed and I'll crash on the sofa. It's nice a quiet, no one will bother you. I think I still have some of mom's clothes, so there should be something you can sleep in, too."

The more than slightly intoxicated woman looked back at him, black bangs framing her pale, angelic face, covering her eyes as she nodded, leaving her head tipped down slightly. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

"You know there is nothing I wouldn't do for you, Kikyou." Inuyasha had been in love with this woman since freshman year in high school—she'd already been a junior, and way out of his league—especially since she was dating Naraku on and off. He'd basically claimed her, and there was nothing he could do about it but sit and watch with a broken heart.

Nodding once more, she rejoined him on the bike, arms around his waist tightly as they rode back to his place, on the northwest side of Tokyo. He carried her upstairs, left her with a night gown and disappeared downstairs. Kikyou mumbled a 'thank you' but he was already gone, the door shut behind him.

Slowly, she got up, walking to the window and looking out at the night sky. She opened the window, got down onto her knees, leaning out and taking a deep breath of the crisp night air. "… How beautiful. How beautiful, indeed."

Inuyasha walked down the stairs with a sad smile on his face, looking around the empty house. _I wonder where Sesshoumaru disappeared to at this time of night. I thought he was here a while ago._ His smile curved down into a frown, but he tried not to fret too much. His brother was twenty six—far old enough to take care of himself. "Damn it.."


	4. From bad to worse

**A/N: Another chapter? Yep. Things may finally get interesting. Woot!**

**I don't own Inuyasha or anything unless otherwise stated. This is purely fan-made from my own twisted imagination. AU. Non canon. Deal with it. Feedback is encouraged! I've gotten none so far, but I'd really like some reviews, guys! Please~ Enjoy!**

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><p>"Hn," Naraku gave a snort, his critical eyes searching over the crowd as they gathered for the race, hooting and hollering, jeering and spilling beer everywhere. <em>Sloppy idiots.<em> His blood red eyes flickered over to Kagura, who was wearing a short red skirt and a black bikini top with fishnet sleeves and stockings, with bright red heels on her small feet. She was known for being a bit of a floozy, not that he gave a damn.

Onigumo approached and tapped him on the shoulder—they may have been twins, but the two rarely acknowledged each other's existence unless they were fighting. "Naraku," his voice was much bolder, and more likely. His dark brown hair was shorter—just past his shoulders, falling loosely around his shoulders. "The first race is about to begin and no one has seen Kikyou, yet."

Giving only a sharp nod, the raven-haired twin turned, heading over to Kagura and handing her the starting flag. "Go get on the line; Kikyou isn't here so that leaves you. Hurry your ass up, wench."

"Feh," Kagura growled, but did as he told her to—walking a bit slower than necessary to the start line, making sure her hips swayed just right, getting a few cat calls and wolf whistles—quite literally. She flicked her gaze to Miroku, then to Bankotsu, before asking, "Ready?" to both of them. When the two racers nodded, she dropped the flag and off they went. _Where is Kikyou?_ Come to think of it, Kagura had not seen her since they went to the bar together.

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><p>It was undeniable how Sango worried when Miroku took off—he was racing against <em>Bankotsu<em> after all. She was still the faintest bit embarrassed from the kiss on the cheek he'd given her before getting in, but she tried not to think about it too much. Her eyes followed the two cars. It was going to be a good race—they were nose-to-nose, each trying desperately for an extra inch lead, but failing to keep it. Just then, a screech of wheels could be hard, and Bankotsu attempted to ram Miroku's deep blue car. There really were no rules to racing; anything goes.

Just at the last second he throttled forward, out of the way and across the finish line—only the bumper of his car being grazed by Bankotsu's vehicle.

Miroku stepped out, victorious, and headed right for Sango, pulling her up into a big hug—which only served to bring a blush to her face all over again. Inuyasha and Kouga exchanged knowing glances, along with a pair of thumbs up for Miroku, finally making a move.

Without hesitation, the brunette leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Sango's lips—it was a surprise to say the least, and on impulse, she raised her hand to slap him, but she couldn't bring herself to, and relaxed into the kiss, his arms still around her waist. _As long as those hands stay there, this is okay._

* * *

><p>Turning away from the banter between Onigumo and Kagura, Naraku looked around the area, immediately spotting a sight that caused his hands to curl into fists. <em>Sango… with that loser? How dare she stoop so low!<em> The man had always wanted her—she was beautiful. At first he had started dating Kikyou to make her jealous, but things didn't work out the way he had planned. Now, to see her lips on Miroku's brought a familiar sense of jealous to him. Gritting his teeth, Naraku immediately turned away, stalking over to the _Shichinintai_, who were moaning over their loss. Roughly, he grabbed their leader, Bankotsu, by the shoulder, giving him a hardened look. "I require a favor from you and your brothers."

"You don't come without a fee," the flamboyant brother to Bankotsu's right chirped, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together. "You know that perfectly well. But, you've caught us in a friendly mood. We're open for hire."

Bankotsu's dark eyes met Naraku's, "What did you have in mind?"

A chuckle came from Naraku, a smirk forming on his thin, pale lips. "Let's take this discussion elsewhere, shall we? No need for…" he gazed back to Sango and Miroku, who had pulled apart and were now blushing awkwardly at the cheering from their friends, "prying eyes."

* * *

><p>Kikyou sat in the passenger seat of Sesshoumaru's car, borrowed for the night by Inuyasha. She didn't want to get out just yet. It felt nice to just listen to music and sit there, despite the shouting just outside. Her mind began to wander over the events going on until she was dizzy. She wanted to be out there, cheering her friends on, watching the races, but she also did not want to see Naraku—or worse yet, <em>Yura<em>. She tended to go as a vixen to the races, willing to jump in the back of any car with anyone who had a few extra bucks on hand. _What a slut. I wonder if Naraku paid her to feel those big tits of hers._ That thought stung. It was bad enough to cheat on someone, but to cheat on someone with a _prostitute_? That was just plain insulting.

The war waged inside her head, until she was shaken from her thoughts by a tap on the window. With it being dark, and the windows so heavily tinted, she had to roll down the window a bit to see who it was.

"Hey Kiki," came the warm greeting of Ayame, the redheaded female wolf demon. Looking lovely in her childish way, she was sporting a white wife beater and light grey jeans and black boots that came up to her knees, wearing a light grey leather jacket to match, hair in loose curls around her face. "Why ya sittin' here by yourself, huh? 'Yash ditch ya?"

The older woman shook her head, "No, he's racing tonight. I didn't feel like getting out just yet. I have a bit of a headache," she confessed with a sigh. "You know how this gets." The rowdiness outside could be heard from the car, only twenty something yards off from the main circuit where the races were held.

Ayame gave a nod and a wolfish grin, "Well, you should take something fer that and come join us, y'know? It's a lot of fun. You missed your turn starting the race and _Kagura_ went up instead. I hate her so much. She's such a—"

"I'd appreciate you not bad mouth Kagura in my presence, Aya."

The younger girl looked a bit surprise, but shut her mouth and nodded respectfully, "Sorry. I forget you two are friends. So uh… yeah, you really should consider joining us. We'd all love to see that beautiful face of yours, bitch."

Giving a tired, yet friendly smile, Kikyou nodded and finally got up, opening the door and stepping out. She was dressed down a bit compared to everyone else, wearing a pair of simple tan sandals, a red pair of capris, and a white top.

"Oh, damn," remarked the wolf demon as she observed the other's outfit, "You might get a little cold in that." She didn't sound overly worried, but more or less indifferent. "Maybe Yash will lend you his jacket," she teased, knowing how the hanyou had feelings for Kikyou. It was blatantly obvious.

"He doesn't need to do that, I'm fine." _Tsk, tsk. Always so proud, when you have nothing to be proud of._ Inwardly scolding herself, the girl with the obsidian-colored hair looked up to meet the flaming green eyes of her companion, who just smiled that familiar red-lipped smile.

She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, leading her towards the crowd, "Come on Kik, let's go watch the race. Yash is up after Ginta."

* * *

><p>Sango had retreated back beyond the front lines due to her embarrassment; Kouga, Inuyasha and Hakkaku had taken to teasing her about her little kiss with Miroku, who didn't seem to mind their comments. He still had that dopey, content smile on his face, looking like a happy idiot… but she could not bring herself to be cross with him. Ginta was about to race against Manten Yamada.<p>

She looked over just in time to see Ayame walking up with her arm around Kikyou Iwasak—Naraku's girlfriend. Seeing her brought back a few old memories; making plans, only to be ditched last minute for her, those two always all over each other… Sango shuddered, and it wasn't from the cold wind that was blowing, either.

"Sango!" Ayame's loud voice could be heard over the roar of the crowd and engines. "Hey, Sango! Come watch the race with us! Yasha is racin' after Ginta, so come on!" She reached over with her free hand, pulling her over, each arm slung over the two women. "Why do you both seem so down? I mean, it's fuckin' race night! Besides," she smirked, "I saw that little kiss between you and Miroku. And you walked in here with his arm around your waist! Did he finally ask you out?"

_Count on Aya to blurt out all the questions I don't want to answer, as loud as humanly possible. _Giving a sigh, she shrugged her shoulders, pulling free from her friend's weight, "Not officially, no. I mean, he asked me to go to the race with him… as his date, I mean, but that's not official, is it? I'm not his girlfriend now, am I?"

Both Kikyou and Ayame turned to look at her now, frowning.

Kikyou spoke up; "Sango. What is your deal? Don't you like him? I mean, it sounds like you don't _want_ to be his girlfriend, but if' that's the case.. You need to tell him that."

"Yeah! If you're going to break Monk's heart, at least don't drag it out like that!" Ayame scolded, frowning, "Sango, I didn't think you were _that_ kind of girl."

"Whoa now, wait a minute you two! I never said anything of the sort!" Sango's hands curled into fists, getting a bit angry that the two would jump to conclusions like that so quickly. "I just… I don't know, okay? I mean, Miroku is one of my best friends. I just don't know if I want him to be my.. uhm… boyfriend, you know? I have a lot on my plate right now. I don't think I'm ready for a serious relationship."

* * *

><p>Kikyou nodded, "Yeah. I just got out of one, myself. Guess I just might stay… single for a while." She paused and looked over the crowd to a head of silver hair and pointed white dog ears, smiling slightly. <em>Inuyasha…<em>

Ayame followed her gaze an arched a brow, but for once, she stayed silent instead of blurting out what she wanted to say. For now, she'd just observe.

Just then there was a squeal of tires, followed by a loud crash of metal against metal. A girl somewhere in the crowd screamed, and several people rushed forward—the whole front half of Ginta's car was smashed into Manten's.

Taking the lead, Suikotsu rushed to the car, with the help of Miroku, managed to get Ginta from the car—although he was covered in blood. This brother of the _Shichinintai_ was by far the most odd of the group, and seemed to suffer from a split personality disorder. Suikotsu was a medical student and a murderer, all thrown into one.

_It's like that man has two souls in one body,_ Kikyou thought to herself, watching him work, giving Ginta CPR, successfully. Once the wolf demon was breathing again he attempted to apply a tourniquet to his arm, which seemed to be broken and bleeding profusely. His white shirt was completely imbued, and so were his nice blue jeans and jacket.

"Looks like a pretty bad crash," Kikyou remarked, then noticed Ayame flying forward with incomprehensible speed, like she was caught up in a whirl wind, rushing to Ginta's side. They were both wolf demons, all kin in one way or another, and fiercely loyal to one another. Kouga and Hakkaku were already at their comrade's side. Everyone was quiet, even the Easterners, who watched silently. Manten was alright, cursing about not being able to finish the race under his breath, receiving a punch to the shoulder from his brother, Hiten.

The next thing that could be heard were sirens—an ambulance, quickly heeled by a few police. Cursing, Kikyou looked around as people began rushing towards their cars, desperate to get out before they could get into any kind of trouble.

Inuyasha rushed over to them with Miroku. "Come on, I'll drive," he said softly in a harsh whisper, pulling the two girls along towards his car, tailed by Miroku.

"Where's Ayame and Kouga?" Sango protested.

"They're staying because Hakkaku refuses to leave his brother," Miroku mumbled sadly behind them, "Though, I doubt they'll get into any kind of trouble. I mean, there is no proof they were doing anything illegal as of yet."

_Just when things start to get bad… something always has to make sure it gets worse._

* * *

><p>"You want us to do <em>what<em>?" Jakotsu's confused voice rang out and he looked around at his other five brother's, since Suikotsu had insisted on staying at the race. "I mean, we can do it, but that's generally not our thing. We're mercenaries, not babysitters."

"Hold it, Jak. This could get interesting," Renkotsu smirked, looking over at Kyoukotsu, the gigantically tall brother at his right, then to Ginkotsu, Mukotsu and finally, to Bankotsu. "If we just take the kid, rough him up a bit, all we have to do is keept him quiet for a day or two before the little bird emerges and comes looking for answers. Right?"

"It's less dangerous than killin' someone, so how can you be such a coward, Jak?" Kyoukotsu said, looking across to the more flamboyant brother.

"Don't be a fool!" Jakotsu yelled back to them, "And what if the kid says something after we let him go? He won't be dead. He'll know what we look like and all that. That's enough to get every one of us thrown in jail!"

The leader mulled it over for a moment before raising a hand, silencing his brothers. "Here's what we'll do…"


	5. Keep your hands to yourself

**A/N: The past two days I have not been able to type because stupid MAC laptops apparently lack a word processor. Fuck you, Drew. I hate your laptop. **

**Anyhow, here's the new chapter. As stated, I do not own Inuyasha, the series belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. This is purely fan made. In this chapter, however, some non-canon characters/OCs may pop up. Enjoy!**

Fumbling with her keys, Sango stepped out of the elevator—her apartment was on the top floor, four stories up with a walk-out roof and a shitty view of the city. If you were not from Tokyo, you may think it was a nice view, but to her it was just a reminder of the dangerous streets she walked down each day. Looking up—her heart stopped. The door was ajar—which meant someone must have gone inside—or even worse. _Come out._

Suddenly she found her feet moving quickly towards the door and throwing it open, going inside, hand on her pocket knife, which permanently sat in the pocket of her leather jacket, in case of emergencies. Inside, the apartment was a wreck. Chairs in the kitchen were knock over, papers thrown askew, pictures knocked from the wall, a vase broken and shattered on the hard wood floor.

"Kohaku!" She found herself yelling, looking around frantically for the boy. _Damn it all! I was only gone a few hours! This has been a shitty week! The other night with the race, the cops, Ginta's accident… _Without even thinking, she continued searching the house—hoping to god to find him hiding somewhere, but her little brother was nowhere to be found. _He's gone! Oh no! Kohaku!_

_*Flash back.*_

Kohaku leaned on the counter, drinking down a glass of apple juice, wondering when his sister would be home. He wasn't allowed to cook when she wasn't there. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she just worried a lot. Not always did he obey all her rules, but tonight he had no desire to break them.

There was suddenly a knock at the door—which seemed a bit off to him, but he thought it must have been their neighbor, Lynn, who often got locked out of her apartment. Without a second thought, the fourteen year old opened the door, "Hey Ly—" the brunette paused, looking up at a flamboyant gender-confused male, who wore an odd kimono, "You're not Lynn. Can I help you?"

"Oh, you're a cute one. I can definitely see how you two are related, little bird."

"Huh?"

"C'mere Bankotsu, look how cute he is!"

Kohaku moved to shut the door, but a muscular arm stopped him, forcefully moving into the shabby apartment, "What do you want?" the boy asked, grinding his teeth, wondering if he could get to the phone in time to call Sango—but it was no use. A fist connected with his mid-section, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Oh dear, Ban, don't be too rough! You don't wanna kill him by accident. If that happens we won't get paid!" Jakotsu protested, crossing his arms. Renkotsu came up behind him and looked over his brother, who was wrestling with the young teenager, before finally managing to knock him out in the kitchen, after he'd frantically tried to reach the phone, knocking over a few things in the process.

The leader of the _Shichinintai_ approached his two brothers, "Get Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu, tell them to make it look like a robbery. Those two know what to do." Bankotsu mumbled boredly, tossing the kid to Renkotsu, handing Jakotsu a bag, "You two stuff him and get downstairs, quick. "I'm gonna go grab the car with Mukotsu and Suikotsu. Hurry up, got that?" Without waiting for an answer, he was off, long braided pony tail swaying behind him as he raced down the stairs.

Jakotsu grumbled under his breath, fitting the sack over the unconscious teen before handing it back to Renkotsu, "You carry him. I can barely get down those stairs in this damn thing," complained the drag-wearing male.

"Then learn to dress more conveniently," growled the bald brother, as they left the scene.

_*End flash back.*_

Sango had no idea what she should do—calling the police seemed logical to anyone else, but she was in a gang. Was that wise to do? She could easily call Inuyasha and ask him what to do, but that would involve telling him about Kohaku, which she desperately didn't want to do. Finally, swallowing back her pride, she took out her phone, drying her tears, dialing a familiar number, letting it ring, waiting on pins and needles for an answer.

_"Hello?"_

"Inuyasha," the woman said firmly, "Call an immediate meeting at the garage in fifteen minutes."

Her stern tone said not to question the motives, so the hanyou nodded and mumbled back, _"Fine. We'll be there soon."_ Obviously her calling him like that meant it had to be important.

She simply hung up without another word, going back into the kitchen, noticing a piece of paper left on the table and frowned, picking it up. In stark black ink there was a sketch of a sparrow, and beneath it there were a few words written… in blood. _'Little bird, come and play.' _

Frowning, Sango slipped it into her jacket pocket, folded up, before locking up her apartment and heading down the stairs rather quickly, not willing to wait for the elevator. _If only I'd gotten home sooner, this would not have happened. Who would take Kohaku? And why? We have nothing worth stealing. He's just a kid for Christ's sake! _

In about ten minutes she arrived at the warehouse, letting herself in. No one was there yet, but she knew Inuyasha would have to call everyone and wake their asses up— Kouga and Ayame were probably trying to catch on sleep they'd missed being at the hospital so much since Ginta's accident, but Hakkaku had told them to go on, and dutifully stayed by his friend's side. They were like brothers, so he would stay and guard him until the other woke up.

Once everyone poured into the garage, Sango was sitting alone in the dark on the couch, trying desperate to keep from breaking down right there—but her pride would not allow it. It was enough of a blow already that's he had to tell everyone about their situation at home, but now this, too?

"Sango, is everything okay?" Miroku piped up, settling down next to her on the couch, placing his hand on her knee, offering a bit of reassurance with his sleepy half-smile.

"Yeah, Sango," Kouga growled, "What did you call us down here for at fuckin' midnight, man?"

" … "

Inuyasha looked over at the brunette female, arms crossed. "We're all here, just liked you asked, so come on." Oddly enough, his voice was softer than it normally would be. He knew something was going on—he could feel the tension in the air, and smell her fear. _Something isn't right here…_

"I've been lying to you guys," Sango finally mumbled, not looking up just yet—hey gaze bore into the ugly shag rug covering that small lounge area's floor. "I've not been entirely truthful about a few things… and right now I need to come clean."

"And you had to do this now? It's the middle of the—" Kouga was cut off by Inuyasha, who simply glared at him, nodding his head towards her slumped form, which caused the wolf demon to frown.

"You all know my late father, Haruko Tsukada, was gunned down a while back," Sango started, finally looking up, meeting eyes around the room, who all watched with concerned but curious glances, "I told you all I got an apartment, and I did. I also told you I had a roommate to help me pay for things… but that wasn't true. I just… didn't want to explain where all my money was going." Her voice was soft, but calm and collected. "I've been attending a university for some time now, while balancing my job and time here… while also taking care of my younger brother." The young woman paused for a moment, "Neither of us have parents, and I couldn't bear," her eyes teared up, "I could not bear sending him into foster care… So I filed for emancipation and custody of my brother, and he's been living with me since then. But today when I got home…" Sango's shoulder's shook, and Miroku gently wrapped an arm around them, trying to comfort the nearly-crying brunette. "The door was open, my apartment was trashed… and Kohaku was…. Gone."

By this time, everyone's eyes had widened. No one could believe she would be afraid to tell them that, or that she'd been able to balance all that out. It explained why she was late all the time, and why she didn't come around as much as she did before.

"What do you mean gone?" Inuyasha growled, going over and knealing in front of Sango, who was now hiding her face in her knees. "Sango, talk to us, come on now. Don't cry. We'll find him." _The last of her family is in trouble… I'm her leader, and it's my job to fix this. I have to._

Slowly, she dug into her pocket and handed him the piece of paper she'd found in her kitchen, "This was all I found when I got home."

_Shit!_ Inuyasha's nose burned with the scent of the dried blood. The other demons in the room could smell it, too. At first, they'd passed it off as nothing, but now it was clearly something. "Don't worry, Sango. We'll find him."

Kouga growled softly, "Ayame, come with me. We're going to go take a look around. Sango, is it alright if we check out your apartment? Maybe we can pick up a scent that'll give us a clue who might have taken him."

Nodding weakly, Sango fished the keys from her pocket and tossed them to the wolf demons, giving a tired sigh, "Top floor. I'd suggest the stairs, the elevators gets stuck a lot."

Miroku pet her hair soothingly, "Do you wanna crash at my place tonight? I don't think it's safe for you to stay at your apartment tonight. Especially if those creeps some back."

She was about to protest, when Inuyasha cut in, "He's right, you know. You need to be _alive_ so you can get your brother back, so just go with him, okay? And Miroku," the hanyou turned his saffron eyes to the male, "Keep your hands to yourself."


	6. Hell can wait

**A/N: I'm in the market for a BETA! Anyone who would care to read/edit my chapters and give me feedback would be immensely appreciated. I tend to type pretty fast, and in turn have many typos. Anyhow, sorry for the absence of Kikyou in the last chapter—I wanted to keep it brief, to make room for this chapter. **

**As promised, this chapter is going to delve into the Nakamura twins a bit more. **

**Enjoy!**

At the sound of his phone going off, Naraku lifted it, looked at the number briefly, and flipped it open, holding the phone to his ear without offering a greeting.

The soft, feminine voice of Jakotsu came through the phone, _"The bird is in the cage. He's a cute one, won't be long now 'til __**your**__ little bird comes looking for 'im." _

"Perfect," the Eastern gang leader mumbled before hanging up, turning on his heels and approaching his twin, Onigumo, grinning like a mad man. "See, brother, I always get my way." His cocky attitude and over confidence radiated off of him, in magnetic waves. Of course, he knew things would not be so easy since the wolf demon would no doubt pick up the scent of the _Shichinintai_, but that would only make things more interesting.

The brunette looked over at his younger brother, frowning, "For now, maybe. But what happens if they realize you hired the _Shichinintai_? You think Sango's going to want you if she finds out you had her brother kidnapped? Plus, you know how those guys are… Knowing them they'll kill him by accident and then what?"

Naraku chuckled darkly, "They won't connect it. They are not that smart, Onigumo. You're over estimating Inuyasha and his friends. Those damn Easterners." His hand curled into a fist, and then he brushed long, wavy, unkempt hair over his shoulder. "I wonder where that slut Kikyou ran off to. She left in a hurry, then didn't show her face at the race… she retreated with her tail between those pretty legs of hers."

Onigumo, who had always loved his brother's girlfriend, hissed back, "Don't you dare trash-talk her."

The younger twin only arched a brow at his brother's reaction, then smirked, "Oh, yes. How could I forget your crush on my sweet Kikyou, hn? Well, you can have her, if you want my sloppy seconds, that is."

Practically seething, the older twin turned and punched the wall, his fist pouring blood as he did so, considering they were in the warehouse, which consisted of either brick or metal walls. This one just so happened to be brick, and hurt more than he'd thought when his hand connected with it. "Shit," Onigumo cursed, glaring at his brother with a look of pure hatred in his deep brown eyes. "Damn you to hell."

"Hell can wait," was his simple reply, before shrugging and striding out of the room, picking up his jacket on the way, and heading out the door with sinister intentions. Taking out his phone, the hanyou dialed a familiar number, waiting for an answer as it rang against his ear.

_"What do you want?"_

Chuckling, Naraku answered in a voice that was almost soft, "I want to see you, Kikyou. To make amends, if you will. I made a mistake, and Yura is a whore."

There was a brief pause before she mumbled back, _"You already knew that. Why should I trust you this time?"_ Her tone was cautious, but just by her not saying no, he knew he had her hooked, and all he had to do now was reel her back in.

"Because, Kikyou, I _love you_. Why else?" Hook, line, and sinker.

_"… Alright. When and where?"_

Thinking for a moment, he quickly said back, "I'll come there."

_"Here? Are you crazy? Kaede is at school, but Mom will have a fit if she catches you here."_

"That's never been a problem before," the villain purred, lips curving up into a cruel smile, "She didn't even catch us in her own bedroom, let alone in yours. Now go pretty yourself up and I'll be there soon." Without waiting for a reply, Naraku hung up, pocketed his phone, and mounted his motorcycle, not bothering with a helmet as he sped off towards her house.

_I will have Sango. There is no doubt in my mind about that. She's… beautiful. I want her. _Naraku frowned, for once he was beginning to doubt himself. _We used to be… close. Am I going about this the right way? Onigumo is… right. If she finds out, she'll never accept me. No. I won't let that happen. She is mine. That piece of shit Miroku can't have her. She's too good for him anyhow, can't she see that? Damn it all. _The wind blew through his messy black hair, flowing behind him as he picked up speed, though mindful that he wasn't wearing a helmet. As much as Naraku lived on the edge, he had no plans of dying just yet. _Hell can wait._

"Damn that Naraku," Onigumo grumbled, sitting on the couch as his younger sister, Kanna, bandaged his hand. She was a lovely girl and looked a lot like Naraku, despite that she was albino. Her eyes were a dark, coal black, void of any emotion. Her skin was like snow, and her hair was such a platinum blonde that it looked nearly white as well.

"What has brother done, onii-san?" Her voice was very soft, just above a whisper.

The older brother gave a soft smile and patted her head, "Nothin' Kanna," he said and pulled her into a hug, "How about we watch one of those movies you like, hm? Or we could color if you want to."

The youngest Nakamura child was just about fifteen, but still quite childish. She suffered from Rett syndrome, a type of autism. She didn't speak much or easily relate to others. She retained interest in childish things like toys, coloring and Disney movies. Naraku adored her, and spoiled her often, though she rarely showed interest in his gifts, leaving him a bit discouraged. Kanna was known to be attached to Kagura, who she treated like a big sister, and she tended to cling to Onigumo, due to him being around the most.

Kanna looked up at her brother, nodding slowly. "Yes." Was all she said, then moved to get her coloring books and stuffed animal—she carried around two objects no matter where she went. The first object was a little stuffed spider, and the second was a hand mirror that had belonged to their mother.

Watching her for a moment, Onigumo smiled and got down onto the floor with her, picking up a coloring book and looking over her vast assortment of crayons, colored pencils and markers and selecting a few, beginning to color. "Kanna," he said softly, not looking up from his art work, "Things will get better. Okay?"

The albino child lifted her eyes, emotionless eyes meeting his. "Momma said not to tell lies."


	7. I trust you

**A/N: *Insert humorous, witty remark here.***

**I own nothing unless otherwise stated. Enjoy!**

Kikyou looked into the mirror, perfectly focused on her features, wanting to be perfect. _I'm better than Yura. _Her lips were perfectly red like roses, soft and succulent. She slowly brushed bangs away from her eyes, carefully overdriving each of her delicate features. Her stark black hair fell perfectly, hanging loosely around her shoulders, the layered bangs framing her face quite nicely.

"Well don't you look _lovely_?" A bitter voice called from the doorway where a willowy woman stood, arms crossed over her prominent chest. Her lips were incredibly thin and lacked much color, very pale, making her look sick. Bags hung under her sunken brown eyes.

"What do you want, mother? Don't you have work?" _Or something to do besides ruin my life?_

The older woman's cold eyes narrowed, frowning, "You look like a prostitute, Kikyou. Are you bringing a man here?" Her mother, Harumi Iwasaki had once been very beautiful, though after she'd divorced Kaede's father, she'd become a heavy alcoholic, and now was just an empty shell running on autopilot most of the time. She worked, drank, and slept. She'd left her oldest daughter to raise Kaede. "That's sickening. You're a little slut."

_Slut. _That word seemed to be aimed towards her a lot, especially since the accident.

"Please just go." Said the younger woman, in desperation.

Frowning, the woman shook her head, "I won't have a whore staying in my house."

"Then it looks like you'll need to hire someone to cook and clean and take care of Kaede, since you obviously can't handle it." Retorted Kikyou, narrowing her eyes. "Did you know that a boy pushed her down in gym yesterday? Or that she aced her math test? What kind of mother _are _you?"

Within two seconds flat, the woman's hand struck her cheek, hissing at her, "What would you know about being a mother? Do you have a child? _No_." These words would string, and she knew that quite well.

Just about three or four months prior Kikyou had been pregnant with Naraku's baby, but just around twelve weeks in, she miscarried after falling down the stairs leaving the apartment. She'd become extremely depressed and gone through a period in time where she was addicted to self-injury. The nineteen year old had slit her wrists and been stuck in therapy until she quit two weeks ago.

Kikyou's eyes watered, though she wouldn't cry, for fear of ruining her eyeliner, "Get out."

The woman frowned deeply, then turned and left without another word, leaving her daughter to wallow in her misery, indifferent and unsympathetic.

It took a few minutes for the heavy-hearted woman to recover, but when she heard a motorcycle outside, then a few minutes later, a soft tap on the door, her heart skipped two beats. One last glance around the room, checking to make sure everything was tidy, she hurried over to the door, though trying not to seem too eager, let Naraku in, shutting the door behind him.

His arms were around her waist before she could even turn around, kissing her neck, brushing hair out of the way as he did. "Well Kikyou, don't you look pretty?" Naraku's voice was soft, delicately sinister, but gentle, just above a whisper.

Kikyou's cheeks turned a very light shade of pink, leaning into his touch. When his hands went under her shirt, they were ice cold against her stomach, making her shiver. "Holy shit, your hands are freezing."

"Then you can warm them up for me," he whispered into her ear, kissing her hair, pressing closer to her, one hand against her stomach, the other on her waist, grinding lightly into her rear- though, she tensed up after a moment.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kikyou looked up at him, brows knit in confusion, hoping he wouldn't react violently toward her interruption. "Not yet. We still need to talk about a few things." Despite how little confidence she had, she talked a good game- her words were fierce, firm and she didn't let up even when he pressed. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend again?"

Groaning, a bit irritated, the older male scowled, "Why do titles matter?"

This, in Kikyou's mind was a round-about way of saying something akin to; _'No, I don't want you to be my girlfriend, I just want to sleep with you and break your heart all over again, whore.' _But of course, could she be blamed? He'd cheated on her, and his treatment towards her had never been the best. _Especially after I lost the baby… He was so angry._ "Naraku," she heaved a sigh, "If the answer is no, then why are you even here? I'm not going to just be _that girl_ anymore. We can't change what happened, so… If you don't want something serious with me, then there is the God-damned door." She extended a hand, long, slender fingers with red nail polish pointed towards the closed door behind them, "You're welcome to go, and I won't even be mad. But I will _not_ be played again."

Frowning, Naraku yanked her into a kiss, pressing the woman against the wall, growling into her ear, breath hot against her sensitive skin. "What kind of shit are you tryin' to pull here, Kikyou? Actin' brave 'n all that isn't gonna get you anywhere. You know you're mine." _This bitch is not going to ruin my plans._

"I am not!" She pushed him away as hard as she could, causing him to stumble back a bit, tripping over a few loose items on the floor, crash landing and catching himself on her curtain, elbow smacking against the window, causing it to break- which left his arm bleeding. Hollering angrily, Naraku got to his feet, striding over and striking her hard on the cheek. Kikyou turned her head to reduce the pain, but it still hurt either way- especially since she'd already been hit there by her mother only fifteen minutes earlier. _That's going to be one ugly bruise… and then I really __**will **__look like a prostitute. Fuck._

"_You little fucking bitch!_ Did you suddenly decide to end your life a little sooner than intended?" Blood was dripping from his arm, down onto her pretty white blouse, imbuing it. The angry hanyou grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the floor, kicking her in the side and leaving quickly, grinding his teeth, lips curled in a snarl. _Damn it Kikyou! Always the fuckin' martyr. _

"Sango? Sango are you okay?" Inuyasha waved a hand in front of the woman's face- she laid out on the couch in the garage, dazed out, mouth slightly agape, sightlessly starring into empty space. _Shit, why did she have to go and do this now? _"Miroku! Will you get some water please, and maybe a bucket?" He called across the large, open room. "I think Sango took some shit. She's zoned out and not answering me."

The brunette looked over at his girlfriend, worried, but obeying his leader and fetching the things he'd asked for, bringing them over. "Will she be alright?"

"Well, she really needs to throw that shit up, but if she won't, then she needs to at least drink some water and get on her feet- work it off, y'know? You might have to help me with that." The silver-haired hanyou was obviously not happy about their current situation, but he knew it would happen sooner or later. _I thought she was over that shit, but I guess not._

Miroku exchanged knowing glances with his commander, helping his girlfriend sit up, holding the glass of water to her mouth, giving small bits to her, which she coughed up, but then began to drink, looking up at him, confused, though not objecting. "Come on, Sango. Drink it up, girl." He stroked her hair soothingly, hoping she'd ease up a bit. Once she finished half a glass the two men hoisted her up, each one supporting her weight carefully, getting her to sit upright in a chair towards the kitchen area. "Maybe I should take her to the house and let her rest," he suggested, looking to Inuyasha, trying to gauge his reaction to Sango's current condition. "She hasn't been like this since her father died," he mumbled, sounding empathetic. "It's sad to see her going to this… instead of coming to me… Why won't she?" Miroku whispered back to his friend, who gave him a look.

"Her damn pride. It's gonna be the death of her," commented Inuyasha, looking down at her, indifferent. He was a little mad, a little ashamed that this was someone in his gang. Was this all it took to bring her down? She was a strong person, but this made him doubt her a little bit. But either way, he still cared. This was still the same girl he went to school with, who he grew up with. _She's always had my back, and as fucked up as this shit is… I gotta have hers. _

During their school years, Sango had acted like an older sister to all of them- willing to deal out a beating to anyone who gave her friend's trouble- especially with Inuyasha, since kids made fun of his ears a lot. Even so, her and Inuyasha had butted heads a lot, both stubborn and full of too much pride, warring over the title as Alpha.

Chuckling lightly, remembering their middle school years- the transition of childhood to teen years was not an easy one, especially for Inuyasha and Sango. They were like siblings, through and through, even though some of the time they could barely stand each other. "I think you probably should take her though. There's no reason to keep her here in this condition. Just get her something to eat and some rest, okay?"

Nodding, Miroku lifted her up out of the chair, carrying her out to his pick up truck, getting her set up in the passenger seat before going over to the driver's side, getting in, face emotionless and starting to drive off towards his house.

"… Hey, Monk?" A groggy, feminine voice called from the other side of the truck, drawing the driver's attention for just a moment, before his gaze returned to the road. "Am I sick?"

Pausing, he replied. "Yeah, a little. But we'll fix this, okay? We'll fix you up, and we'll find Kohaku. Just… give it time, okay? Relax. We're on this. Have I ever let you down before, Sango?" The raw, truthful tone in his voice was enough to break her heart.

She gave a curt nod, biting her lip lightly, "I trust you."


End file.
